The Houston Rockets stayed alive in the playoffs Wednesday night with a 131-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series.
Led by Fred VanVleet’s 26 points and Amen Thompson’s 25, Houston overwhelmed Golden State early and never let up.
The Rockets opened the game on a 40-24 run and built a 27-point halftime lead behind VanVleet’s 19 first-half points.
By the third quarter, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr emptied his bench after VanVleet’s layup put the Rockets ahead 93-64 midway through the period.
Ime Udoka responded similarly late in the third, but reinserted his starters after Golden State trimmed the deficit to 109-92 with just over eight minutes remaining.
All five Houston starters finished in double figures, including Dillon Brooks, who had 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Golden State got 25 points from Moses Moody off the bench, and their reserves combined for 76 points.
However, their starters struggled as Stephen Curry managed just 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting and Jimmy Butler finished with eight points on 2-of-10 from the field.
The Warriors cut Houston’s lead to 114-101 with just under four minutes left before a scuffle broke out.
Pat Spencer was ejected for headbutting Alperen Sengun after shoving Dillon Brooks, leading to three technical fouls and a halt in momentum.
The Rockets responded with a 7-2 spurt to put the game away.
Houston shot 55.1% from the floor and went 13-of-30 from beyond the arc while holding Golden State to 41.7% shooting.
With the win, the Rockets trimmed the Warriors’ series lead to 3-2 and forced a Game 6 at Chase Center on Friday.
Houston now aims to become the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series.
The Rockets previously did so in 2015 against the Clippers, while the Warriors infamously lost the 2016 Finals after leading 3-1 against the Cavaliers.
